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Edition 6 - February 2004 Slipping Up? Bounce Back Not long after the Christmas holidays, Vietnam veteran Kevin told Phil, his local Welfare and Pension Officer, that he was really going to stick to his new year's resolution this time. Impressed by his determined attitude, Phil asked him just what his resolution was. "I'm never drinking again," he replied. This could have been a natural enough reaction to the hangovers that seem as much a part of the festive season as Santa and fireworks. Phil couldn't help wondering if a resolution to just cut back a bit would be more realistic and achievable. But not wanting to put Kevin off, Phil offered some encouraging words. Did he have a plan, he wondered, to help him stick to his resolution? Kevin hadn't thought about that. Prior Planning Prevents... Phil and Ken worked out a bit of a plan together. Phil helped Kevin break his goal down into smaller pieces. It's easier to tackle smaller goals rather than only thinking about the bigger one of 'giving up drinking'. He reminded Kevin about the 6 Ps from his service training, Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. They worked then, they could work for him now. Many of Today's Mix readers would have seen the small silver book, Changing the Mix: A Guide to Low-Risk Drinking. There's a whole lot of information in there to help veterans plan how they're going to change their drinking. Phil gave Kevin a copy of the Guide and suggested he get back in touch if he wanted to talk about any of the ideas in it. Slip Ups? Bounce Back Phil hasn't heard how Kevin's going, but if he's like most people who are trying to change their behaviour, he would have experienced a few setbacks by now. We all know that it's really difficult trying to change our behaviour. Changing our drinking is no different. All sorts of things can get in the way of the best-laid plans. Bumping into an old friend and going to the pub for a quick drink, or a spontaneous celebration at the club. Lots of things can come up, and it isn't always possible to plan for everything. That's when it's easy to 'slip up'. Drinking more than we planned, or on a day when we didn't want to drink at all, can happen so easily. Slip-ups can be so frustrating and make us want to throw in the towel. But if we slip up, we need only ask a few questions. What was going on when the slip-up happened? What did I do? What can I do differently next time? Practice Makes Better If you have had lots of practice at drinking too much, it's clearly going to take quite a bit of practice at not drinking as much, or not drinking at all, before you get really good at it. Any positive change can also take some getting used to and this is where most veterans and their families can draw on their flexibility and reserves of inner strength. Frank Sinatra apparently once said: "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." Waking up after a big night and not feeling good about anything is often the best motivation to change one's drinking. Changing our behaviour is difficult, but if we slip-up, we shouldn't beat ourselves up for it. We can just bounce back and start again, knowing that we are picking up way ahead of where we began. Sorry to disappoint you Frank, but Kevin and other veterans are aiming to feel as good as they can all day. If you would like to do something about your drinking, here are some things you can do:
Latest News Right Mix Coasters Are Back!
Place your orders at http://www.therightmix.gov.au/veteran.htm
Right Mix Standard Drinks Glass
Glasses can be ordered through the contact details listed below. Contact Us Email us: alcoholproject@dva.gov.au Call DVA: 133 254 Write to:
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Next Edition Today's Mix will be back in April. We'd love to hear about your experiences with The Right Mix, and welcome your comments on the newsletter. Get in touch at alcoholproject@dva.gov.au The Right Mix team
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Due
to overwhelming popular demand, we have re-printed the coasters. With four
coasters to a set, they're a light-hearted way to get people thinking about
their right mix. Reunion coming up?
The
Right Mix standard drinks glass is proving almost as popular as the coasters.
Order yours now to help you inform veterans about standard drinks. The schooner
sized plastic glass has the standard drink measurements on the side and can be
used for simple demonstrations in workshops or group programs.
